MARCH IS MUSIC 2023 South Bronx Live Concert Series Announced At Pregones Theater

Pregones/PRTT has announced its 2023 March Is Music series featuring 9 live concerts by world-class classical, jazz, folk, and fusion artists, plus the New York premiere screening of SANTOS - Skin to Skin, a film portrait of master percussionist John Santos.

All events are presented live at Pregones Theater, located at 575 Walton Avenue, just steps off the 2, 4, 5 trains, in The Bronx, a.k.a. The Borough of Music ("El condado de la música"). A digital livestream option for all 9 concerts is also available for remote viewing. Evening concert tickets are $25 in person / $10 online; both Bronx Piano Sundays and Bronx Film Wednesdays screening are free. Tickets on sale now at www.pregonesprtt.org or by calling 718-585-1202.

MIM 2023 LINEUP: SANTOS - Skin to Skin, New York Boricua Quintet feat. John Santos, Minyi Zhang, Sonia Olla + Ismael Fernández, Francesca Khalifa, Manuel Valera, Chantal Balestri, Villalobos Brothers, Siyumeng Wang, Roadside + Pregones in Concert!

SERIES CALENDAR and EVENT DETAILS:

Wednesday, March 1, 7PM - SANTOS - Skin to Skin (Bronx Film Wednesdays)

NY FILM PREMIERE. Our 17th edition of March Is Music kicks off with a special in-person screening of Santos - Skin to Skin, a documentary about California-based percussionist and "keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame," John Santos. Filmmakers Kathryn Golden, Ashley James, and Jorge Oliver follow their subject from rehearsals in his garage studio in Oakland to performances at local community centers, gigs in Puerto Rico, and stages around the U.S. Playing alongside a stellar cast of international jazz musicians, including Eddie Palmieri, Omar Sosa, and Jerry Medina, John links the rhythms of his ancestors to contemporary struggles of identity and social justice.

Saturday, March 4, 7PM - NEW YORK BORICUA QUINTET feat. JOHN SANTOS (Afro-Latin)

Seven-time Grammy-nominated percussionist John Santos, is one of the foremost exponents of Afro-Latin music in the world today. He is known for his innovative use of traditional forms and instruments in combination with contemporary music. For this MIM opener concert, John joins the New York Boricua Quintet comprised of local Latin Jazz heavy hitters Edsel Gómez (piano), Iván Renta (sax), Alex "Apolo" Ayala (bass), and Camilo Molina (drums). A dream lineup of unmatched artistry, imagination, and passion - get ready to be blown away!

Sunday, March 5, 3PM - MINYI ZHANG (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays)

Trained at Juilliard, Minyi Zhang has been a top prize winner of numerous piano competitions including PianoTexas International and Shenzhen Piano Competition. She has been featured at Pianofest in the Hamptons and Beijing International Music Festival and was recently performed with the Fort Worth Symphony. She will be playing works by Schumann and Bizet!

Saturday, March 11, 7PM - SONIA OLLA + ISMAEL FERNÁNDEZ (Flamenco)

"A furnace of earthy sensuality" (The New York Times), Sonia Olla is a director, choreographer, and dancer of international prestige. "A connection to the Gypsy source" (The Washington Post), Ismael Fernández learned the singer's craft in the bosom of an Andalusian family devoted to the flamenco form. Together, they create and perform stage works of explosive energy and emotion and have been featured collaborators in televised and touring productions by pop icons Madonna, Alejandro Sanz, and Ricky Martin. This will be an evening at once intimate and rousing!

Sunday, March 12, 3PM - FRANCESCA KHALIFA (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays)

Italian-Egyptian artist Francesca Khalifa is winner of the Ferrara International Piano Festival, recent featured soloist with Cairo Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Filarmonica Pozzoli in Milan, and in-demand touring artist in the U.S. and internationally. "Khalifa intensifies the beauty of piano playing" (La Nuova Ferrara). She will play works by Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, and Diez Nieto!

Saturday, March 18, 7PM - MANUEL VALERA (Latin Jazz)

Grammy nominated artist, pianist, and composer Manuel Valera was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. Since arriving in NYC, he has become well known in modern jazz circles, garnering national reviews and lending his talents as a pianist and composer to notable artists like Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, Dafnis Prieto, Jeff "Tain" Watts, John Benitez, Samuel Torres, Joel Frahm, and Yosvany Terry, among others. Deeply influenced by the experiments of Cuban artists from the 70s and 80s, Manuel's own band, New Cuban Express, creates a unique and distinctive style that mixes elements of Jazz, R&B, fusion, funk, and Cuban music!

Sunday, March 19, 3PM - CHANTAL BALESTRI (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays)

Praised for her "confidence and sound technique" (South Florida Classical Review), Italian/Swiss pianist Chantal Balestri is a versatile classical musician active worldwide. She has performed as soloist with orchestra and recitalist at major venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Sala Piatti, Wiener Saal, and many more. She will play works by Schubert, Franz, and Schumann!

Saturday, March 25, 7PM - VILLALOBOS BROTHERS (Contemporary Mexican)

Known for its showstopping musicality and charisma, Villalobos Brothers fuses the expressive richness of Mexican folk with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical music. Numerous A-list collaborations include Arturo O'Farrill, Dolly Parton, Antonio Sánchez, Regina Carter, Dan Zanes, Eduardo Magallanes, Sierra Hull, Bruce Springsteen, Ana Tijoux, and more. Delivering a powerful message of love, brotherhood, and social justice with brilliance, cadence, and virtuosity, Villalobos Brothers has delighted audiences throughout Latin America, India, Russia, Canada, and in more than 30 states across the United States!

Sunday, March 26, 3PM - SIYUMENG WANG (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays)

Chinese artist Siyumeng Wang entered the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music at age 10 and at 12 was admitted to The Juilliard School, where she was awarded the Kovner Fellowship. She has been first prize winner of numerous competitions, including Beijing All-Star Cup, Hope Cup, and Oberlin International. She will be playing works by Bach, Medtner, Beethoven, and Granados!

Friday, March 31, 7PM - ROADSIDE + PREGONES in Concert! (Appalachian/Puerto Rican)

First-gen Appalachian artists of Roadside in Kentucky (1975-2020) and Puerto Rican artists of Pregones in The Bronx boast over 30 years of friendship on and off stage! For this big anniversary celebration, we revisit great moments in our history with Old Time Music master Ron Short, Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz artist Desmar Guevara, poet/emcee Caridad "La Bruja" De La Luz, and a bevy of other formidable guests! This special concert also marks the book publication of Art in a Democracy: Selected Plays of Roadside Theater, a two-volume anthology including intercultural plays and Pregones audience favorites Promise of a Love Song and Betsy!